The Research Ethics Committee at ÉTS

Questions of ethics are at the heart of university research. They are also an assurance of the respectability and the credibility of an institution and its researchers. This is why ÉTS has put in place a Research Ethics Committee: it must ensure that the work of its researchers respects the principles and standards generally recognized by society and the granting agencies as well as other organizations in the research community.

The Research Ethics Committee’s Mandate

The Research Ethics Committee (in French, the Comité d’éthique de la recherche or CÉR) assesses the ethical acceptability of any research projects conducted with human participants and carried out by ÉTS researchers, students and/or employees, regardless of where the research takes place. To do this, it applies the ÉTS Research Ethics Policy (in French, PDF), the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2-2014) (external site) as well as standards in force in Québec and Canada.

Under the policy, the ÉTS Research Ethics Committee may:

Conditionally approve a project for which the ethical acceptability is deemed insufficient (recommendations will be issued with a view to correcting the situation);

Approve unconditionally a project for which the ethical acceptability is considered satisfactory;

Refuse a project that is not ethically acceptable;

Terminate a current research project, if it no longer meets fundamental ethical principles.

It is also responsible for:

Ensuring continuous monitoring of all approved research projects;

Receiving complaints from participants, when the problem raised cannot be settled directly with the principal investigator (the person in charge of the research);

Taking adequate measures to deal with conflicts of interest in connection with the research projects evaluated;

Authorizing the release of research funds.

The CÉR also ensures that research projects carried out using animals or with hazardous biological substances have obtained a Certificate of Compliance before the work begins.

How to Submit a Project to the Research Ethics Committee

If you wish to submit a file to the Research Ethics Committee, we invite you to communicate with the Coordinator to learn about the procedures that apply to your project:

Deadlines for presenting a file

January 24, 2019 (to be considered at the meeting of February 7)

February 21, 2019 (to be considered at the meeting of March 7)

March 21, 2019 (to be considered at the meeting of April 4)

Do You Need Assistance in the Area of Research Ethics?

Do you have questions about your research project and its ethics assessment? The CÉR can help. Whether you’re a faculty member, a researcher or a student, don’t hesitate to contact the Coordinator to discuss your research project and its ethics assessment.

Does your student project require recruiting human participants? You will need to take the ethics training offered by the CÉR’s Coordinator. This training will introduce you to the fundamental ethical principles you will need to respect throughout your research project.